Mining head for cutting and dislodging coal



Jan. 11, 1955 F. CARTLIDGE 2,699,327

MINING HEAD FOR CUTTING AND DISLODGING COAL Filed Oct. 19, 1949 54 u 19 W 165 1169 31 18 1245/ L 43 33 2 if j IN V EN TOR.

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United States Patent MINING HEAD FOR CUTTING AND DISLODGING COAL Frank Cartlidge, Chicago, 11]., assignor to Goodman Ngalillltlifiacturing Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation 0 ois Application October 19, 1949, Serial No. 122,318 Claims. (Cl. 262-9) This invention relates generally to continuous mining and specifically to an improvedcutting, breaking and dislodging head for use with a continuous mining machine such as that disclosed in applicants co-pending application on Apparatus and System for the Continuous Cutting and Removing of Coal From the Solid, Serial No. 116,684, filed September 20, 1949.

One of the problems in continuous mining of coal, for instance, is that of removing the coal in sutficiently large particle sizes with a minimum of dust and fines. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mining head which will produce coal in desirably large particle sizes with a minimum of power consumption.

An important feature of the mining head of the present invention is that it includes cutting means arranged to cut a plurality of spaced kerfs in a mining face to thereby define outstanding cores between the kerfs and breaker means aligned with the cores and spaced some distance behind the cutter means to break off the' cores.

Ancillary features include the following: (A) the pe ripheral spacing of individual core breaking elements is greater than that of the individual kerf-cutting elements; and (B) the width of individual core breaking elements is substantially greater than that of individual kerf-cutting elements; both to facilitate maximum production 'size with minimum power consumption.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the draw- Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, of a cutting, breaking and dislodging head according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of Figure 1 taken along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the core breaking elements; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the kerf-cutting elements.

Like parts are designated by like reference characters throughout the figures of the drawing. 7

To simplify the disclosures herein to their fundamentals, only the novel mining head itself is shown and described. It will be understood, however, that in use it could be substituted for the cutting and dislodging element generally designated in the above-mentioned copending application. For a detailed description of the entire mining machine and its operation, reference therefore should be made to the previous application.

The novel head herein generally designated 11 comprises supporting means 12 which latter includes both a pair of cutter bars 165 and a drum 169. Carried by the supporting means 12 are rows of cutting means generally designated A and which are arranged to cut a plurality (in this case 4) of rows of kerfs 13 in a working face 14. Arranged intermediate the kerf-cutting means are core breaking means generally designated B aligned with cores I6, 16 defined by the kerfs and adapted to break up and dislodge the cores after they have been defined by the cutting of the kerfs.

The cutter bars 165 are mounted for pivotal movement about both horizontal and vertical axes and may be fed toward and retracted from the working face (by means shown in the above-mentioned co-pending application).

A cutter chain 17 having kerf-cutting bits 18 project 2,699,327 Patented Jan. 11, 1955 ing therefrom is guided for orbital movement about each cutter bar 165 in a well known manner.

The drum 169 is rotatably mounted between the for- Ward ends of the cutter bars 165 by means now to be described. A main tubular section 19 has at each end an inner telescopically assembled section 21 welded thereurged inwardly by the lock nut the bearing 28 seated firmly within a seat 29 A sprocket 31 driven by chain 17 is in the rows; of core breaker means B. Th

of movement. e bits 43 are constructed with transversely spaced points 46, 46 with a shallow relief 47 therebetween. In operation the core will be cracked out along the lines a shown in Figure 1. central portions of the cores not falling off immediately upon cracking will be scraped olf by quent pass.

I The kerf-cutting bits 41 are primarily designed for cutting speed rather than for large particle size; hence, the particular arrangement or maximum speed of kerf-cutting com- I bits but they will be spaced at greater intervals about the peripher In connection with this latter point, it will be seen that the kerf cutter bits 41 are spaced at approximately 45 intervals about the drum while the other kerf cutter bits 18 are spaced even closer; as contrasted with the core breaker bits spaced at ap proximately intervals.

Another important feature of the invention is that the cutter bits 1841 extend farther than the breaker bits 43 beyond the support means 12 in order that the kerfs 13 be cut to define the outstanding cores 16 before the corresponding portions of the latter are engaged and broken off by the core breakers.

In operation the head 11 will be elevated to the top of example, and while being rotatively 18 41 always operate in advance of the breakers 43, which latter break up and discharge the cores by direct frontal attack.

While a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be obvious that details of construction and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a continuous rotatable cutting, breaking and dislodging head adapted to cut, dislodge and break down coal and the like from a solid face by bodily movement horizontally into the face adjacent one vertical extremity thereof and vertical movement therealong to a position adjacent the other extremity thereof during continuous rotation of said head, a rotatably driven drum, a plurality of relatively closely circumferentially spaced kerf-cutting bits projecting from the periphery of said drum in laterally spaced concentric rows and extending at various angles with respect thereto, and a row of core breaker bits disposed between at least two rows of said kerf cutter bits, said core-breaker bits extending radially from the periphery of said drum and having a greater spacing than the spacing of said kerf-cutting bits and having relatively wide advance breaking and scraping faces and terminating at a lesser distance from the axis of rotation of said drum than said kerf-cutting bits, to travel at a lesser linear velocity than the linear velocity of said kerf-cutting bits, and intermittently engage the core face and break up the core between sai kerf-cutting bits into lumps of relatively large particle sizes.

2. In a continuous rotatable cutting, breaking and dislodging head adapted to cut, dislodge and break down coal and the like from the solid by bodily movement horizontally into a coal face adjacent one extremity thereof and vertical movement therealong to the other extremity thereof and withdrawal therefrom, spaced apart support means for said drum comprising two spaced apart vertically and horizontally movable vertically extending cutter bars having cutter bit-carrying cutter chains guided for orbital movement thereabout, a drum rotatably supported between said cutter bars, adjacent the forward end thereof and rotatably driven by said cutter chains, a plurality of kerf-cutting bits relatively closely spaced circumferentially projecting from the periphery of said drum in laterally spaced concentric rows and extending at various angles with respect thereto and having cutting points spaced closely together to have substantially continuous engagement with the face of the coal for cutting a plurality of laterally spaced vertical kerfs therein, and a row of core breaker bits disposed between each two rows of kerf-cutting bits, said core breaker bits being spaced apart a greater distance than said kerf-cutting bits and subscribing circles of substantially less diameter than the circles subscribed by said kerf-cutting bits and having widely spaced cutter points with a relief therebetween to form advance breaking and scraping surfaces intermittently engaging the faces of the cores between the kerfs cut by said kerf-cutting bits and breaking and scraping the cores from the coal face in relatively large particle sizes.

3. In a continuous rotatable cutting, breaking and dislodging head adapted to cut, dislodge and break down coal and the like from the solid by bodily movement horizontally into the coal face adjacent one extremity thereof and vertical movement therealong to the other extremity thereof during rotation thereof, a rotatably driven drum rotatable about a horizontal axis extending parallel to face during the dislodging operation, means for supporting and rotatably driving said drum including having orbitally driven cutter bit carrying cutter chains movable thereabout,

sprockets on cutter chains for changing the direction thereof and rotatably driving said drum, a plurality of concentric rows of cutter bit blocksextending from said drum in laterally spaced relation with respect thereto and extending at various angles with respect thereto in relatively closely spaced circumferential relation with respect to each other and said drum meshing with and driven by said having cutter bits detachably carried thereby and presenting substantially continuous kerf-cutting points, cutting in substantially the same planes as the bits of said cutter chains, and a row of widely spaced blocks disposed between each two rows of kerf cutter bits and having core breaker bits carried thereby, said core breaker bits subscribing circles of substantially less radius than the circles subscribed said kerf cutter bits and having relatively widely spaced advance breaking and scraping faces, for intermittent engagement with the faces of the cores between the kerfs cut by said kerf cutter bits, breaking and scraping the cores from the coal face in relatively large particle sizes by direct engagement with the core faces.

4. A cutting, breaking and dislodging head for a continuous mining machine comprising a rotatable drum adapted to be moved forwardly and backwardly relative to a mine working face and vertically therealong from one extremity to the other and rotatably driven about an axis substantially parallel to the working face, said drum having mounted on the periphery thereof at least two axially spaced rows of kerf-cutting bits relatively closely spaced circumferentially and forming substantially continuous cutting members, and at least one row of core breaker bits therebetween, the kerf-cutting bits extending a greater distance radially from the axis of rotation of said drum than said core breaker bits whereby the former will first cut spaced kerfs to define an outstanding core therebetween, and said core breaker bits having widely spaced cutter points with a relief therebetween whereby said core breaker bits will intermittently engage the face of the core between the kerfs cut by said kerf-cutting bits and break up and dislodge said core from the coal face in relatively large particle sizes, said core breaker bits being spaced at greater intervals than the kerf-cutting bits about the circumference of the drum to break up and scrape off the cores in relatively large particle sizes.

5. A cutting, breaking and dislodging head for a continuous mining machine comprising a rotatable drum adapted to be moved forwardly and backwardly relative to a mine working face and vertically therealong from one extremity to the other and rotatably driven about an axis substantially parallel to the working face, said drum having mounted on the periphery thereof at least two axially spaced rows of kerf-cutting bits circumferentially spaced substantially 45 apart and forming substantially continuous cutting members and also having at least one row of core breaker bits between said rows of kerf-cutting bits and having two axially spaced cutter points with a relief therebetween, said core breaker bits being spaced apart at least said kerf-cutting bits extending a greater distance radially from the axis of rotation of said drum than said core breaker bits whereby said kerf-cutting bits will first cut spaced kerfs to define an outstanding core therebetween following which said core breaker bits will intermittently engage the face of the core and break up and dislodge said core from the coal face in relatively large particle sizes by direct cutting and scraping engagement with the face thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 981,201 Kuhn Jan. 10, 1911 1,148,975 Kuhn et al Aug. 3, 1915 1,190,300 Kuhn July 11, 1916 1,565,376 Levin Dec. 15, 1925 1,761,670 Hughes June 3, 1930 2,096,917 Pray Oct. 26, 1937 2,269,781 Osgood Ian. 13, 1942 2,287,230 Cartlidge June 23, 1942 2,415,217 Osgood Feb. 4, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,707 Great Britain Oct. 30, 1913 

